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In fDemoriam 



(3eorge B. (Breen 



HSorn Budust 30, 1858 
DieO JanuariB 16, 1917 



fn>ai?or of Blngbamton 

Senator of tbe State of IRew IPorft 

State Commissioner of lexdse 

\9X5A9X0 



Committee on tbe part of tbe Senate: 

TIDlillfam lb. Dill aoon p. JBrown 

ittotcte S. WalUdaB ttbomag lb. Cullcn 



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Committee on tbe part of tbe Hseembl^ : 

iBDmunD p. 5enfts Barnes S. HUen 

Daniel P. Mtttcr Bert 1Lor5 

Worrell J6. Callett H>r. TRobert p. JBusb 

Ibenrs a. ^ucpbB 



(ScoxQC IB. Gxccn 




lEORGE E. GREEN was, indeed, a self- 
made man, having won his way to pros- 
perity, influence and honor by steady, 
untiring energy, industry and fidelity of purpqse, 
rather than by accident of birth or favoritism of 
fortune. 

His ancestry was English — his great grand- 
father, Samuel Van Buskirk Green, with his family, 
emigrating to this country toward the latter part of 
the seventeenth century, and settling in the old town 
of Baltimore. He was a civil engineer of repute 
whose signature may be found on the old survey 
records of Baltimore. 

Samuel Van Buskirk Green, Jr., grandfather of 
Mr. Green, at an early age left Baltimore and 
located near the present city of Wilmington, Del., 
where he married Miss Sarah Heartt. He was a 
gallant soldier of the War of 1812, and soon 
thereafter removed to the north with his family, 
being among the pioneer settlers of Susquehanna 
county. Pa. 

His son, James Davidson Green, father of Mr. 
Green, later located in the town of Kirkwood, N. Y., 

7 



ITn nDcmortam 

where he married Frances E. Wisner of puritanical 
ancestry (one of fourteen children), daughter of Asa 
Wisner of Carey, Ohio. 

George Edward Green was born in Kirkwood, 
Broome county, N. Y., August 30, 1858. ^Vhile he 
was an infant his parents removed to the town of 
Port Crane (now Fenton), in the neighborhood 
known as " Ballahack." 

Before he was two years old his father had pur- 
chased a large tract of timber land and cleared suffi- 
cient space to permit the erection of a log house of the 
most approved primitive, pioneer style, the crevices 
between logs being filled in with " chinking " held in 
place by clay; and a log pen thatched with straw, to 
shelter the " stags." 

This backwoods location, removed about one mile 
from the nearest neighbor, was where Mr. Green's 
boyhood was spent. The log house on the old home- 
stead still stands in a fairly well-preserved condition. 

After reaching the age of nine years he spent his 
entire summers working and helping to clear the 
farm; he acquired some fundamental knowledge in 
the district school and the foundation for a good, 
practical education was begun. 

When in his sixteenth year the iron hand of neces- 
sity compelled him to give up to a large extent the 
advantages of home life, and even the meagre school- 
ing previously enjoyed; and thus, early in life, he 



(Beorge J6. 6reen 

began to not only earn his own living but to help sup- 
port his parents who, through loss of property and 
serious ill health, were left in an almost dependent 
condition. 

Under these circumstances he turned to mercan- 
tile life as the readiest means of relief. Obtaining a 
position in a general store in Port Crane, at a salary 
of three dollars per week (without board), he learned 
the rudiments of commercial knowledge. Subse- 
quently, he was employed in a similar business at 
Tuscarora, and in 1879 began his residence in Bing- 
hamton as a clerk in a grocery store. 

Mr. Green was now twenty-one years of age. He 
had always lived in the country and enjoyed only 
slight educational advantages, but the more important 
conditions of character and disciplinary training were 
strongly in his favor. 

He accepted a position as a traveling salesman 
with a wholesale grocery concern, obtaining more 
time to himself and, while attending strictly to busi- 
ness during business hours, he spent his evenings, late 
into the nights, in reading and hard study, keeping 
abreast with the times on social, political and literary 
topics. 

Continuing " on the road " Mr. Green entered 
the service of Ford & Evans, and built up for them 
a substantial trade in bituminous coal. As he was 
successful and so strongly impressed his employers 



In nDemoriam 

with a sense of his character and business capacity, 
he was admitted to the firm as an equal partner upon 
the retirement of Captain Evans. This continued 
four years when Mr. Ford retired from business, 
since which time Mr. Green conducted the business 
alone. 

Having canvassed the territory for years, thus 
establishing permanent trade relations and a per- 
sonal acquaintanceship with about one thousand cus- 
tomers, he had doubtless the largest bituminous coal 
business of any single dealer or operator in the State. 

Aside from his coal business and real estate inter- 
ests, Mr. Green was connected with various enter- 
prises. He was one of the original promoters of the 
International Time Recording Co. of Endicott, N. Y. 
(formerly Bundy Manufacturing Company), and 
was its President for many years, at the time of his 
demise being a Vice-President. He was likewise 
connected with many other business organizations, 
officially and as director, and to all of which he 
brought the power of a masterful personality, trained 
experience and so keen an insight into details as to 
prove that work has not only been the motto of 
his life but to a great extent has constituted its 
enjoyment. 

With so many and varied business interests and 
devoting thereto an amount of time and energy which 
would exhaust the mental and physical capacity of 

10 



(3eorae E. (Brcen 

most men, Mr. Green, nevertheless, gave much atten- 
tion to political affairs. 

As a young man he became an ardent Republican ; 
in 1887 he was elected an Alderman; in 1888 he was 
made President of the Common Council; and in 1889 
he was nominated for the Mayoralty of Binghamton 
but failed of election by a narrow margin. Nom- 
inated again in 1893 he was elected by a substantial 
majority, and in 1895 he was re-elected by the largest 
majority ever given a candidate for Mayor of the city. 

Mr. Green devoted his wonderful energy and 
ability to the benefit of the city in various ways, and 
to his efforts may be ascribed in great measure Bing- 
hamton's effective system of sewers, pavements, 
bridges and many other municipal improvements. 
City Hall, Binghamton City Hospital, etc., his ad- 
ministration being conceded by all as one of the most 
efficient and successful the city has ever enjoyed. 

Mr. Green was for several years President of 
the Binghamton Board of Trade. He was an active 
member of the Broome County Republican Commit- 
tee and for many years its Chairman; and he was 
prominent in the councils of the party throughout the 
State. 

In 1893 he was unanimously elected President 
of the Republican League of the State of New York, 
being re-elected each succeeding year until 1896 when 
he voluntarily retired. 

11 



Un riDemoriam 

In 1900 he was nominated for State Senator, 
defeating his Democratic opponent by about 7,000 
plurality; in 1902 he was re-elected, the Democratic 
nominee declining to run, and Mr. Green receiving 
18,000 votes. 

In 1901 and 1902 he served as a member of the 
Committee on Public Health and the Committee on 
Revision. In 1903 and 1904 he was Chairman of the 
Committee on Taxation and Retrenchment, and a 
member of the Committee on Cities, on Banks, on 
Public Health and on Revision. 

He was an enthuisastic supporter of the Barge 
canal, and was a member of the Commission ap- 
pointed by Governor Roosevelt to investigate and 
report upon same. 

Mr. Green's popularity and high standing among 
the people of the Thirty-ninth Senatorial District was 
demonstrated when, as a candidate for Delegate to 
the Constitutional Convention, he received more than 
twice as many votes as any one of the majority of 
candidates. 

He was a member of two of the most important 
committees, namely Cities and Canals ; he was one of 
the hardest workers in the Convention and the records 
contain many papers of interest on various subjects 
upon which he addressed his colleagues, and numer- 
ous bills prepared and introduced by him. 



12 



(5eorge je. (5reen 

On April 21, 1915, Governor Charles S. Whit- 
man appointed Mr. Green as State Commissioner of 
Excise, to fill the vacancy caused by resignation of 
Hon. W. W. Farley; on March 15, 1916, the Gov- 
ernor reappointed him for the full term of five years. 
In each instance Mr. Green's appointment received 
the unusual honor of immediate confirmation by the 
Senate. 

While in the Constitutional Convention, Mr. 
Green commenced his study of the work in the Excise 
Department, working many hours when he should 
have taken rest. On assuming charge of the Depart- 
ment his work-day ran far into the night. This, 
together with other duties and interests, overtaxed 
him until his health was impaired by overwork and 
insufficient rest ; late in November he went to Atlantic 
City where he underwent a minor operation from 
which he was convalescing when advised of a call by 
the Governor for an important conference in Albany 
of heads of State Departments, and he felt in duty 
bound to return at once. 

He attended the conference and again plunged 
into the work of his Department. Soon after the 
first of the year he was called to New York on import- 
ant business connected with the Excise Department, 
and while there suddenly suffered a relapse. He was 
hurried to the hospital for an operation, but did not 



13 



flu nr)emorlam 

recover from the anaesthetic, and died at midnight 
January 16, 1917. 

He was taken to his home in Binghamton, N. Y., 
where funeral services were held January 20, 1917. 

Mr. Green was a thirty-second degree Mason — 
a Knight Templar, Shriner, etc. ; he was a member of 
the B. P. O. of Elks and of various other fraternal 
organizations, having held the highest office in the 
State and in the United States in the Improved Order 
of Red Men, and for the past several years served as 
Chairman of the National Orphans' Board of that 
fraternity. 

" He rests from his labors and his works 
do follow him." 



14 



Iproceebings of tbe Xegislatute 



At the session of the State Senate of January 
seventeenth, Senator WiUiam H. Hill announced 
the death of George E. Green, a former member of 
the Senate. Upon the motion of Mr. Hill, the Presi- 
dent of the Senate appointed a committee of four to 
attend the funeral. The Senators appointed were 
Messrs. Hill, Hailiday, Adon P. Brown and Cullen. 

At the session of January twenty-fifth resolu- 
tions of sorrow were adopted by the Senate and 
March fourteenth fixed as the day upon which a 
memorial service should be held by the Senate in 
honor of the memory of George E. Green. 

Speaker Thaddeus C. Sweet of the Assembly 
appointed the following members to attend the 
funeral : 

Edmund B. Jenks, James S. Allen, Daniel P. 
Witter, Bert Lord, Morrell E. Tallett, Dr. Robert 
P. Bush and Henry A. Murphy. 



15 



Hbbtesses in the Senate 

flDarcb X4, 1917 

in memorg of 

(3eorgc B. (3teen 



Hbbtesses in the Senate 



Senator Hill: Words on this occasion will but 
feebly express my sentiments. 

When death, the last enemy, comes very close 
and breaks the circle of one's friendship ; when a stal- 
wart man is removed in the prime of life, we stand 
lost in amazement at the inscrutable providence of 
God; yet, we believe in a larger life and that the 
Master doeth all things right though oft we think 
them ill. 

It is indeed an honor to speak a word on this 
occasion. I am glad that George E. Green num- 
bered me among his friends, for his friendship was 
of that warm, sympathetic character which any man 
might feel honored to hold. Mixed emotions crowd 
my heart. I sorrow that the end has come; I rejoice 
that the gi'eat spirit has been loosed to that sphere 
wherein it may broaden to its great capacity. " Gone, 
but not forgotten," is a form of words that possesses 
a living, definite and emphatic meaning — not mere 
vacant figure — to those touched by the beneficent 
and wholesome influence of the earnest and industri- 
ous life of my friend. 

In the fullness of usefulness and energy when 
the compelling finger beckoned, he left us in the hej'^- 
day of his career before his ambitions were realized 

19 



M fiDcmoriam 

or his hopes fulfilled, but we are reminded that such 
is the uncertainty of life. He has taken the step into 
the silent land, whither we all shall follow. He has 
succumbed to the onslaught of death, the only con- 
queror. How resistless is that mighty and destroy- 
ing angel. What mortal power for a moment can 
impede his approach? Who can defy his dread sum- 
mons to join the countless host whose home lies 
beyond the portals of the gi-ave? Can power, how- 
ever extensive? Can wealth, however boundless, or 
learning, however marvelous, ward off or withstand 
him? No. The King who commands obeisance from 
millions of subjects will in turn one day yield obei- 
sance to a monarch more absolute; the conqueror- 
visible, whose might is invincible, will eventually 
perish at the approach of the conqueror-unseen; the 
opulent one whose uncounted wealth can purchase 
every pleasure in life, cannot with all his treasures 
buy immunity from death, nd science, with all its 
wonderful discoveries and developments, can com- 
pound no elixir that will prolong human existence a 
moment beyond its allotted span. Every hour of 
boundless life urges us on to death, and the whole 
world without exception sweeps on to its gigantic 
burial : 

The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power. 
And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave. 

Await alike the inevitable hour. 

The path of glory leads but to the grave. 
20 



(Beor^c j£. (5reen 

Death is indeed inevitably certain in its occurrence, 
but the time when it will arrive is uncertain and 
unheralded. We can tell in advance the regular 
revolutions of the seasons and the alternate coming 
of day and night; we can determine the time when 
the grasses and the trees grow and wither; when the 
roses will bloom and fade, but human eye cannot 
pierce nor can human reason remove the veil that 
shrouds and conceals the coming of death: 

Leaves have their time to fade, 

And flowers to wither at the north wind's breath, 
But thou hast all seasons for thine, O Death. 

These thoughts teem upon my mind during this sug- 
gestive hour that follows the passing of this noble 
and just man as I reflect upon his busy and useful 
life. 

George E. Green was a most lovable man and 
all who came within the scope of his influence enter- 
tained for him the deepest affection. The closer to 
George E. Green, the more beneficent his influence. 
His face was itself a fair type of his natm-e, which 
was essentially of the sunshine character. He will 
always be remembered by his associates as a high- 
minded, strong man. He was of the type that 
brightened with use. He was an intensely human, 
big-brained, warm-hearted man. He was never 
afraid to speak his convictions. He fulfilled and 

31 



In rB>emortam 

represented the very clear and definite ideal which 
American people accept as the best expression in 
human form of American manhood. His brain was 
a veritable storehouse of information and, regardless 
of physical consequence, he devoted all his mental 
powers unselfishly and without stint to his duty. 
His life was shortened perhaps by his dogged deter- 
mination to stick at duty's post. I am certain that 
my colleagues here who were his colleagues then, 
will bear me out in saying that this body has never 
known a more conscientious member. His was a 
guiding, if not a controlling hand in writing some 
of the best laws on the statute books to-day. He was 
never afraid to speak his convictions. He was an 
independent thinker, a self-reliant man of courage, 
energy and perseverance who, by native ability and 
application, carved his way to high and respected 
station among his fellowmen. He held commanding 
place in his Church; in his home town; among his 
friends everywhere he was known. 

I would speak of his magnanimity. He would 
forget everything except littleness of soul, and over 
petty meanness he would spread the mantle of 
charity. He invariably exhibited a tolerant charity 
with all who opposed his views or were his avowed 
enemies. Friendship to him was a sacred thing. He 
was well adapted by nature and training to the very 
highest confidence of the people. He exerted an 

23 



(BcovQC 16. (Breen 

influence among his associates which they will long 
remember. It is character only which lives, and his 
character, combined with honorable public service 
and an upright life, cannot be forgotten. Many of 
us, his former associates and colleagues, have lost a 
dear friend; and the realization of our loss quickens 
and deepens the sympathy which we extend to the 
devoted wife. Our consolation must be that we who 
knew him are better men and this State a better State 
because he lived. True to his times, and true to him- 
self, he performed his fullest obligations both as a 
man and as a citizen. 

George E. Green to me was like a father and 
a brother. He tutored me in business and in politics. 
I probably had better opportunity than any man liv- 
ing to get close to his real great, unselfish heart. He 
was true as steel. His soul knew no littleness; his 
life was an open book. The personal loss I sustained 
in his passing cannot be told in words. There are 
sentiments too deep for expression. I wish I had the 
power to speak as I would on this occasion. 

I would speak just this word of the private life 
of my friend. Back in the days when his finances 
permitted it, he was the friend of every unfortunate 
with whom he came in contact. At one time, during 
a hard winter in Binghamton, he gave away to the 
poor more than one carload of flour. He allowed no 
mention of this to go in the newspapers and few of 



11 n fiDemortam 

his friends were acquainted with his charities. When 
he had a dollar, he shared part of it with his fellow- 
men. Another incident I will mention. When a 
newspaper with which he and other citizens were 
interested began to lose money heavily, he would give 
unstintingly of his means to keep the office intact 
that the men on the paper might have work and that 
the project might succeed. ^Vhen all deserted, he 
stood by the wrecked journal, never failing to give of 
encouragement and money. Late at night he would 
meet one of the workers with a smile : " Keep on 
plugging, boys; all will come out right." And thus 
George E. Green preached and practiced through- 
out his eventful life. 

His habits were industrious and his disposition 
gentle and as a consequence he always gained and 
kept the respect and favor of his neighbors. The 
people on numerous occasions evinced their high 
regard for him. There was a mutual confidence and 
cordiality existing between him and his friends that 
is seldom found. He was always the same generous 
and kindly hearted gentleman. He had a magnetic 
openness of manner which easily attracted friends 
and invited men to salute him in terms of easy famili- 
arity, but in purpose he was sincere and ardent, and 
as he pursued his path through life, he strove always 
to scatter seeds of kindness, and to create happiness 
and hope among those where formerly there had been 

24 



(Beorge !£♦ (Breen 

but misery and dejection. What a commentary upon 
life that brilHant careers terminate often when the 
zenith is in sight but not quite reached. Death came 
to my friend with the swiftness ahnost of the eagle's 
flight and with less than its pity. To-day he lies at 
rest among the people he loved and served and who in 
return were loving and loyal to him. By them his 
memory will be ever kept green and the recollections 
of his splendid qualities of mind and heart will ever 
be enshrined in their memories. And, we, his friends, 
even amid the changing conditions of this busy life 
will affectionately remember him always. 

He made a heroic fight for life. He wanted to 
live ; he was but human. But he died as he had lived 
a courageous man. He was not afraid and there was 
" no moaning of the bar when he put out to sea." 

He died gamely, which ideal is as helpful as liv- 
ing bravely. He of all men made unselfishness the 
rule of his daily life. There never has been a more 
self-abnegating spirit or more self-sacrificing char- 
acter or one who had a more watchful regard for the 
comfort and interest of others than George E. Green. 
He remained throughout all his life a brave, honor- 
able Christian gentleman, a loyal friend and a lover 
of his fellowman. 

Longfellow did not dream that in his immortal 
" Psalm of Life " he was inscribing his own epitaph 
as well as the historic record of many others, in his 

25 



In riDemorlam 

paradoxical phrase of imperishable imprint in the 

shifting toys of " every wind that blows," when he 

wrote: 

Lives of great men all remind us, 

We can make our lives sublime; 
And departing, leave behind us. 

Footprints on the sands of time. 

These words of eulogy do not seem an unfitting 
laurel crown for the man who has reflected honor 
upon the religion he professed and practiced, his 
State and community. When the spirit of George 
E. Green winged its flight from the busy scenes of 
earth to seek its Maker, the curtain fell on a human 
life brimful of the most inspiring instances of noble 
and unselfish effort; a life that will continue to exert 
a deep and inspiring impression. 

All must to their cold graves; 
But the actions of the just. 
Smell sweet and blossom in the dust. 

Senator Cullen: In 1901, 1902, 1903 and 
1904, Senator Green was a member of this body. He 
and I were drawn closer, probably, than other men 
who sat around this circle, from the fact that we 
served on committees together. It was there that 
the real man was found, in his committee work. It 
is there that the character and the traits of the 
individual are brought out, after all, as a member of 

26 



(Beotge j£. (3reen 

the Senate or Assembly. Strong in conviction, strong 
in principle, and yet, withal, a lovable and genial 
character. It got so that I could address former 
Senator Green as " George." To my mind, when 
one man can address another by his first name, then 
the friendship is at last cemented, never to be broken, 
in my judgment. These are the friendships that live 
long in our memories. 

I can see and remember George Green, a big, 
handsome fellow, coming through the Senate in the 
morning, " Good morning, George," and the smile 
all over his countenance, and yet one of the grandest 
characters, in my judgment, that ever sat in this 
place. 

He left the body after a span of time, retiring 
from the State service, but was called back to render 
further service to the State. It was my privilege to 
rise here and move for his confirmation to the office 
of Excise Commissioner. 

I like to think about the men who served with 
me here when I first came, men who have departed, 
so that at times it affects me greatly, when I walk 
in this Chamber, and behind almost every desk 
methinks I see one of the old faces. I like to remem- 
ber them as I knew them in life. These memories 
are very dear and sweet to me. 

In that connection I want to just say to the 
Senate, to repeat to the Senate, a verse which was 

27 



fin fIDemoriam 

used at the memorial of another able son of the 
State and a very great friend of mine, the Hon. 
Frank W. Higgins : 

The consciousness of duty well performed. 
The praise that honors virtue and rewards it. 
All these were his. 

Senator Elon R. Brown: It happens that 
I am one of the leaves hanging to the tree long 
after Commissioner Green served in this Senate. I 
remember him well. I remember his delightful per- 
sonality, his genius for making friends of all men, 
his great interest in public matters, his willingness 
to give up his time, his energy and his capacity in 
any way that would serve the State. As a Senator 
he held important commissions. He went through a 
great trial and he showed that he had the stuff in him 
to bear himself well until the time should come when 
he would be vindicated from the false charges laid 
at his door, and he had the personality and character 
to stand firm until the people all recognized his 
value, his honor and his character and then sent him 
to the Constitutional Convention and it was my 
pleasure to join in recommending his appointment 
to the office of Commissioner of Excise. It was a 
great pleasure to see him thoroughly rehabilitated 
and I believe his character warranted it in the eyes 
of all men, which gave him another opportunity to 

28 



(Beorge E. (Breen 

serve in as high a capacity as he had ever enjoyed 
for the people of the State. 

Now there are certain standards we love to bear 
in mind and to be reminded of, but it is better that 
they be a part of us and that we need not be 
reminded of them. Standards of duty, standards of 
service, and in this body standards of self -contain- 
ment and generosity, with capacity for friendship and 
love of public service, a desire to contribute some- 
thing to the progress of this great State. Commis- 
sioner Green tried by these standards, is worthy of 
this memorial and worthy of always being remem- 
bered by us and of being remembered by his State. 

" A truer, nobler, trustier heart. 
More loving, or more loyal, never beat 
Within a human breast." 



29 



jFunetal Services 



Higher tribute has never been paid a citizen of 
Binghamton than that which marked the funeral of 
George E. Green, held at the North Presbyterian 
Church, Saturday, January twentieth, at 12:30 p. m. 

Flags were at half mast ; city departments were 
closed; business was suspended; surface cars were 
stopped; and the whole community of the City of 
Binghamton in every way possible paid loving and 
respectful tribute to the memory of their deceased 
friend. 

The Governor of the State, members of the 
Legislature, men in State, county and municipal gov- 
ernments, fraternal society members, and hundreds of 
neighbors and friends gathered to pay their last 
tribute. 

Acting as a guard of honor to the body while it 
lay in state at the church and as it was borne to the 
cemetery were members of the Improved Order of 
Red Men and the Order of Elks. 

The services were conducted by the Rev. John 
McVey, DD., pastor emeritus of the church, a close 
friend of the deceased, assisted by Rev. Alvin C. Saw- 
telle, pastor. 

The Rev. Mr. Sawtelle said: 

31 



Hn fiDemoriam 

" No man could have had a greater friend than 
in George E. Green. And the presence here to-day 
of this large concourse of people is a fitting tribute 
to the memory of the man who had so many friends 
and was the friend of so many. It was not my 
privilege to have known him intimately for very long, 
but I can say that while I did know him I considered 
George E. Green a friend. His activities in this 
church were many, and it was perhaps because of 
his love for his former pastor, Kev. Doctor McVey, 
and it is fitting, therefore, that the words of apprecia- 
tion for the man we love should be spoken by Doctor 
McVey." 

The Rev. Dr. McVey, in part, said: 
" This is one of the saddest moments of my life. 
I hardly know what to say or how to say it, and yet 
when I see this great outpouring of people, this great 
contribution of flowers, I ask myself, what does it 
mean? Some would say it means this, and others 
that. But I say, it is because it is in recognition of 
the greatness of the man whose memory we are 
honoring in this presence to-day. 

" I loved George E. Green. He and I had 
many things in common, but we did not always agree. 
He was always willing to help, and he not only did 
well those things he did do, but it was a question of 
him doing too much. He was successful in business, 

S3 



George JB. 6reen 

and had he continued in business he would have been 
one of the greatest men in business life. While he 
was Mayor of this city he performed his official duties 
well. Many of the fine buildings, bridges, pavements 
and other structures in the city to-day were con- 
structed during his term of office, and many of them 
bear his name. Everything he undertook to do he 
did with a will, and in fraternal life he gave his 
heart and soul to make the fraternities a success. He 
had such wonderful energy. 

" To the Governor of this State I want to say, 
I thank you for giving George E. Green the oppor- 
tunity to assert himself, to give him an opportunity 
to show that he was a man who could do the things 
expected of him. When he was sick he said he 
wished he could get well that he might show to the 
world that he could do what was expected of him. 
With his good wife he prayed to God that he might 
be spared to continue for the balance of his term. 
But God answered his prayer in another manner, 
and took George E. Green to himself. He was not 
a man to complain of his illness. 

" I will miss him. I never expected to be in 
this position. It seems as though he should be here 
doing something for me when I am gone. 

" Good-by. Good-by, dear friend. May God 
be with you and keep you. And may God be good 
and kind, and protect the dear lady you are leaving 



In nDemoriam 

behind. Keep her and protect her, O God, and may 
the Lord bless and keep you all! " 

The active pallbearers were: Senator William 
H. Hill, James T. Rogers, Clarence M. Slauson, 
John A. Brown, Carol E. Reynolds, G. Tracy 
Rogers, A. Ward Ford, William W. Farley and 
Harold L. Hart. 

The honorary pallbearers were: Governor 
Charles S. Whitman, Lieutenant-Governor Edward 
E. Schoeneck, Sj)eaker of the Assembly Thaddeus 
C. Sweet, United States Senator William M. Calder, 
Secretary of State Francis M. Hugo, State Treas- 
urer James S. AVells, Attorney- General Egburt 
Woodbury, State Engineer Frank M. Williams, 
State Comptroller Eugene M. Travis, Superintend- 
ent of Insurance Jesse S. Phillips, Commissioner of 
Education John H. Finley, Executive Auditor and 
Chairman of Republican State Committee George 
A. Glynn, State Architect Lewis F. Pilcher, Com- 
missioner of Highways Edwin Duffey, Commissioner 
of Agriculture Charles S. Wilson, Conservation 
Commissioner George D. Pratt, Judge Nathan L. 
Miller, Former Governor Benjamin B. Odell, Jus- 
tice Rowland L. Davis, Great Sachem I. O. R. M. 
Henry F. Jerge, Congi-essman C. Fred Wright, Con- 
gressman George W. Fairchild, Congressman Luther 
W. Mott, Deputy Commissioner of Excise Jay 

84 



George je. 6reen 

Farrier, Deputy Commissioner of Excise D. H. 
Ralston, Deputy Commissioner of Excise John T. 
McNeil, Chief Counsel Excise Department J. Shel- 
don Frost, James S. Whipple, George W. Aldridge, 
Arthur Cowee, George I. Skinner, Charles A. Wiet- 
ing, Walter Hook, John F. Nagle, George W. 
Sweeney, Charles E. Gehring, Willis Sharpe Kilmer, 
George F. Johnson, Judge George F. Lyon, Mayor 
Frank H. Truitt, George C. Bayless, Jerome De- 
Witt, Hiram H. Woodburn, John J. Irving, William 
R. Ely, S. P. Quick, George B. Curtiss, WiUiam G. 
Phelps, Frank B. Newell, Dr. Charles G. Wagner, 
George F. O'Neil, Dr. C. A. Ward, Arthur Bird, 
E. M. Tierney and Amos Johnson. 

The Improved Order of Red Men had charge of 
the commitment ceremonies in Spring Forest Ceme- 
tery, using their ritualistic burial service, at the close 
of which a pure white dove was released and soared 
above while hundreds of the members filed past the 
grave to drop a sprig of evergreen upon the casket. 
Then all heads were bared as the closing prayer was 

said, and George E. Green was commended to ever- 
lasting peace. 

Above his resting place is appropriately inscribed 

** To live in hearts we leave behind 
Is not to die." 



35 



appenbti 



87 



IRceolutions 

flt>opteb b^ 

Btnabamton (tbamber of (Commerce 

At a regular meeting of the Board of Directors 
of the Binghamton Chamber of Commerce, held on 
January 18, 1917, the following resolutions were 
unanimously adopted : 

Whereas, With great sorrow and regret we 
record the death of one of our most distinguished 
members, Hon. George E. Green, which took place on 
January 17, 1917; and 

Whereas, This man, so widely known and 
admired by a very large number of friends and busi- 
ness associates, had served this City and State with 
much credit to himself and honor to Binghamton ; and 

Whereas, His genial and companionable ways, 
his loyalty to his friends and his indomitable energy in 
his activities for the good of others, had endeared him 
to all; therefore, be it 

Resolved, That we, the Board of Directors of 
the Binghamton Chamber of Commerce, expressing 
what we believe to be the unanimous sentiment of the 
citizens of Binghamton, deeply deplore the loss of 
this most active and useful man, and express our most 
profound sympathy and condolence to his widow in 
this hour of distressing grief. 

39 



Uribute 



bs 



(Sovetnot Charles S. Mbitman 



In the death of George E. Green the State lost a 
faithful public servant. 

His appointment as State Commissioner of Ex- 
cise met with universal public approval. He labored 
faithfully and incessantly in the discharge of his 
duties. His sudden demise was a great shock to his 
legion of friends, who knew and loved him for his 
great-heartedness and manly qualities. He will long 
be remembered as a warm-hearted, kindly gentleman. 
I desire to express to his widow, family and friends 
my deep regret and heartfelt sympathy. 

Executive Chamber, 

Albany, N. Y., March 15, 1917. 



41 



Zvlbutc 



it 



5ubge 3. Sbelbon jFrost 

Commfssfoney of pabllr Safety ot tbc Cttfi of Slban^, formerly 
Commissioner ©rcen's Cblef Counsel in tbc State Department 
of Bycise 



When Governor Whitman indicated a desire to 
appoint George E. Green to the office of State Com- 
missioner of Excise, which office was to become vacant 
on October 1, 1915, by reason of the resignation of 
Conmiissioner William W. Farley, widespread 
approval was manifested. In fact such approval was 
so miiversal and enthusiastic that the certainty of his 
selection became a conceded fact long before the 
resignation of Commissioner Farley took effect. The 
appointment was made on April 21, 1915, the Senate 
paying Mr. Green the unusual compliment of at once 
unanimously confirming the same. 

On March 15, 1916, he was appointed by Gov- 
ernor Wliitman for the full term of five years begin- 
ning April 1, 1916, and again his appointment 
received an immediate and unanimous confirmation 
by the Senate. 

Mr. Green believed that an intelligent general 
understanding of the provisions of the Liquor Tax 

42 



In flDemoriam 

Law would lead to a more willing observance and a 
more eJffective enforcement of its provisions. 

From the day of his appointment to the day of 
his death he was engaged in preparing a plan to elimi- 
nate the handling of the liquor traffic by irresponsible 
persons and to place it under such conditions that the 
observance of law would become general and punish- 
ment for its violations as certain as in case of infrac- 
tions of other laws. It was not his ambition to collect 
through fines and penalties large sums of money from 
violators, but rather was his aim to secure for the law, 
observance and respect. He inaugurated a vigorous 
campaign against saloons seeking to exercise hotel 
privileges, and the incursion of liquor into dry 
territory. 

He repeatedly warned the liquor interests that 
their tolerance of gambling and disorder in connection 
with certificated premises and of prohibited selling 
would create such a torrent of public protest and 
indignation as eventually to abolish the traffic in its 
entirety. 

His conception of the office of State Commis- 
sioner of Excise was, not that it imposed the duty of 
aiding in securing total prohibition of the traffic, nor 
in the removal or modification of the restrictions and 
limitations placed upon it by the law makers of the 
State; but, rather,, that the best possible observance 
of existing laws should be secured and that the inequi- 

43 



(3eorQC fi. Green 

ties and confusions therein should be eliminated so far 
as possible, to the end that through plain, simple and 
uniform provisions, a general observance of the law 
would result. 

His efforts and activities were for the proper 
enforcement of existing law, rather than either for or 
against the traffic itself. 

During the last several months of his life. Com- 
missioner Green devoted an immense amount of time 
and arduous work in the preparation of what he 
termed a " Primer," intended as a plain, concise and 
comprehensive interpretation of the Liquor Tax Law. 
This material has been included in the Annual Report 
of the Excise Department for 1916. 

No head of a department could be more highly 
esteemed by his associates than was Commissioner 
Green. He was kindhearted and generous to a fault. 
His loyalty and devotion to his friends knew no 
bounds. No work was too arduous for him to under- 
take either for the improvement of the Department 
or in the assistance of friends and associates. His per- 
sonal comfort and convenience as well as his health 
itself were always secondary to the performance in 
fullest measure of his sense of obligation to public 
duty and to the assistance of others. 



44 



Ebitorfals 



From hundreds of newspaper articles, editorials, 
etc., which were published throughout the country, 
the following from the home papers are selected: 

From Binghamton Republican Herald 

1 858 — GEORGE E. GREEN — 1 91 7 

In considering the remarkable and notable career 
of George E. Green, the home folks will dwell most 
upon his warm personality. 

The story of his triumphs in politics, in business, 
in appointive office, are written at large in the history 
of the times. But his life as one of our citizens — 
as a private well doer — comes nearer to Bingham- 
tonians than does his public career. 

As Alderman, as Mayor, as State Senator, as 
Excise Commissioner, as a leader of the Republican 
party who attained to State- wide influence and even 
made his power felt at times in the wider councils of 
the Nation, Mr. Green was best known and most 
widely honored. Each of his public advancements 
was the occasion for rejoicing here by his many 
friends. 

No one ever will know how much money, how 
many tons of coal, how many bags of flour, how many 

45 



Hn nDemortam 

suits of clothing, how many pairs of shoes, Mr. Green 
gave away. And no one ever will know how many 
times he went out of his way — beyond the limits of 
fraternal duty — to assist fellow members of the fra- 
ternities of which he was a member. It was in fra- 
ternal work that he took most pleasure, aside from his 
family life. The Red Men, especially, honor him for 
broad service and untiring devotion. 

Mr. Green's life was one into which grief often 
entered and when it came he had many, many warm 
friends to mourn sincerely with him and who sought, 
by their sympathy, to assuage his afflictions. The 
many disappointments that came to him he bore man- 
fully and throughout his life he gave proof of his 
determined optimism in public, although in private 
his tears often flowed. 

One of the labors which gave Mr. Green the most 
satisfaction was that for the advancement of the plan 
for pensioning mothers, that they might be able to 
support their children in their homes and so keep 
them from institutional care. Mr. Green's work with 
the fraternities convinced him years ago that the home 
is the place for bereaved children and their mothers 
and he brought this matter successfully to the atten- 
tion of his fraternal brothers. It was this pioneer 
work that furnished the ground plan for the enact- 
ment of the mother's pension bill in this State, 
although Mr. Green unselfishly permitted others to 

46 



(Beorge E. Oreen 

share the pubhc honors for its successful inaugura- 
tion in pubhc hfe. 

In business, pohtics, fraternal and church life, 
Mr. Green was a leader. The community mourns his 
death and extends to all near him sincere sympathy. 



From Johnson City-Endicott Record 

HON. GEORGE E. GREEN 

Channing wrote : 

" The greatest man is he who chooses the right 
with invincible resolution; who resists the sorest 
temptations from within and without; who bears the 
heaviest burdens cheerfully ; who is calmest in storms, 
and most fearless under menace and frowns; and 
whose reliance on truth, and on God is most unfalter- 
ing; " and this is the tribute The Record would pay 
George E. Green, friend of mankind, whose sudden 
departure Tuesday shocked the entire community. 

George E. Green will always be remembered by 
his friends and associates as a high minded, pure, and 
strong man. He was of the type of man that bright- 
ened with use. It has been truly said that character is 
not made in a day, neither is it possible for one to 
become acquainted with character that is worth while 
in a short period of time. The individuals who stand 
out in prominence the world over are the ones whose 

47 



fln flDemoriam 

honesty and simplicity first attract you, and whose 
gigantic abihty to perform their tasks afterward, 
impresses you. Words of praise can be used in the 
description of anybody who has passed beyond, but 
truthful words describing a character that had to do 
with all of the different phases of human nature and 
came through without a scar, is indeed the exception. 
This we can, however, truthfully say of George E. 
Green, our departed friend and neighbor. His ambi- 
tion may have mapped out a task that his early 
departure left uncompleted, but the honesty of pur- 
pose in every day's transaction was well defined in the 
course of his every day life. 

George E. Green was an intensely human, big- 
brained, big-hearted man. He fulfilled and repre- 
sented the very clear and definite ideal which the 
American people accept as the best expression in 
human form of American manhood. His brain was 
a veritable storehouse of information, and regardless 
of physical consequence, he devoted all his mental 
powers unselfishly and without stint to his duty. He 
took first rank among the lawmakers of the State 
when he was a young man and his was a guiding if not 
a controlling hand in writing some of the best statutes 
on the books of the State today. 

But in addition to these great mental powers, the 
possession of which has always been conceded by those 
who knew him, he possessed other attributes which 

48 



(5C0VQC je. (3reen 

made him a positive and beneficent force among his 
associates. Among these traits was his magnanimity. 
He would forget everything except meanness and 
littleness of soul. But even with such men he almost 
invariably exhibited a tolerant charity. Friendship 
to him was a sacred thing. He was well adapted by 
nature and training for the very highest confidence of 
the people. He exerted an influence among his asso- 
ciates which they will long remember. It is character 
only which lives, and his character, combined with 
honorable public service and an upright private life, 
cannot be forgotten. Many of us, his former asso- 
ciates, have lost a dear friend; and the realization of 
our loss quickens and deepens the sympathy which we 
extend to the devoted wife in this trying hour. Our 
consolation must be that we who knew him are better 
men and this State a better State because he lived. 
Long may the memory of our friend remain among 
us. True to his times, and true to himself, he per- 
formed his fullest obligations both as a man and as a 
citizen. 



From Binghamton Press 

GEORGE E. GREEN 



George E. Green was one of the strong men of 
Binghamton. Coming here in early youth, he worked 
his way up to a position of importance in the business 

49 



irn riDemortam 

world. And he gave to politics the same energy, and 
something of the same driving power he brought to 
bear upon his private interests. 

For five years Mayor of the city, and for two 
terms a member of the State Senate, he left the 
impress of his personality upon the growth of this 
community, and played no small part in the public 
life of the State. 

Few men numbered a larger circle of personal 
friends in all walks of life. And citizens of all parties 
and of all classes will unite in paying tribute to the 
memory of a man who gave the best years of his life to 
the service of this city. 



From Sidney Record 

George E. Green, Commissioner of Excise, an 
honored resident of Binghamton, died in New York 
City Monday, 15th inst., from an operation for 
mastoiditis. 

He leaves to friends unnumbered the sense of a 
precious friendship broken and the memories of a 
delightful friend. He was a very modest man, free 
from selfislmess, with a love of quiet in life as strong 
as his love of humanity but resolute as a hero in under- 
taking any duty he regarded as his own, or in helping 
others when he thought he could be useful. 

50 



(Beorge B* 6teen 

The public of New York have known George E. 
Green as Senator, Mayor of Binghamton and as 
Excise Commissioner, one who endowed these offices 
with a highly accomplished knowledge of all their dis- 
tinctive functions, great practical sense for dealing 
with all questions that came before him, with a respect 
for his responsibilities as incorruptible as his under- 
standing of them was clear. 

Mr. Green was a public officer such as every 
citizen may well honor. His was a remarkable indi- 
viduality. The seriousness of life did not rob him of 
his appreciation of its curiosities or education affect 
the quaintness of the fresh and genial spirit that was 
born in him. 

No man was richer in his sympathies or kinder in 
his heart or more genuine in his love for his fellows. 
Broad in his information, interested in many things, 
always charming in his himior, and in the larger spirit 
of companionship, frank and sincere in every impulse, 
a friend of George E. Green always felt that he really 
knew him, and knowing him he was worthy of all the 
respect and affection which he attracted. 

In the death of Mr. Green the public has lost a 
truly admirable servant and he is mourned in the 
deeply stirred hearts of family and loyal, devoted 
friends. 



51 



